FROM THIS EPISODE

Andy Samberg’s musical skits on Saturday Night Live have made him a star. In his Guest DJ set he shares his own favorites, including the dancehall track that gets the party going, a song he jams to in the SNL offices, as well as an emotional track from his parent’s record collection. Samberg just released a CD as part of the comedy troupe the Lonely Island. Incredibad is their debut album.

Jason Eldredge: Hey it’s Jason Eldredge from KCRW and I’m here with Andy Samberg who is a member of the comedy troupe The Lonely Island and also a cast member of Saturday Night Live. Andy is here for KCRW’s Guest DJ Project. How are you doing?

Andy Samberg: I’m good, how are you?

Jason Eldredge.: I’m doing well. So you’ve brought a selection of songs. A very eclectic collection, I have to say. It’s very nice so…

Andy Samberg.: Thank you. Yeah, I went out of my way to do that.

Jason Eldredge.: That’s good, that’s very good.

Andy Samberg: Don’t put too much on these songs. I love these songs but I couldn’t ever whittle it down to five, so I just picked songs I like right now and tried to keep it eclectic.

Jason Eldredge: Well, why don’t we jump right into the first one here.

It’s basically the jammy slammy. I mean, I think everyone -- critics and fans alike -- can agree on that. Me and all my friends growing up in Berkeley, in high school and in college, dancehall was a huge part of our lives and we got really into Sizzla and Capleton and, you know, Bounty Killer…the guys!

Jason Eldredge: The standards.

Andy Samberg: All kinds of cool stuff. But this song in particular, this one always when it comes on everyone at the party everyone goes aaaAAAHH. A good jam is a good jam.

I got this album pretty much as soon as it came out. I think I was at work at SNL and we started listening to it and this song came on and me and Akiva share an office and we were all just like like ‘Ohhhhhhhhh that’s a good beat!” And it’s Just Blaze, who is by far one of my favorite beat makers in hip hop. I think of him as sort of carrying the Premiere torch in terms of like that really raw dog hip hop, you know the stuff that really makes you nod your head and get out of your seat and just jam. (laughs)

And let me just say “The Champ” by Ghostface Killah is no exception. I mean it really delivers the goodies. It takes it straight to all the heads. Streets definitely want this track. And they got it. Just Blaze and Ghostface gave it right to them.

Jason Eldredge: Streets and NBC offices alike.

Song: Ghostface Killah’s “The Champ”

Jason Eldredge: You know, one really follows up Ghostface with Roberta Flack.

Andy Samberg: Yeah.

Jason Eldredge: It’s a logical progression.

Jason Eldredge: And especially a song like this.

Andy Samberg: Especially a song like this, “Do What You Gotta Do.” It’s really, really aggressive and angry.

Jason Eldredge: It caused a lot of riots back in the 70’s, as I understand.

Andy Samberg: This song is on an album of hers that my parents had and my mom loves Roberta Flack. In junior high and high school, I got really into their record collection and would put on the head phones and listen to all the old music they had and this song for some reason always just stuck out to me as one that I really loved. Put it on a lot of mix tapes, if you know what I mean.

Jason Eldredge: Yeah, it’s a sad one.

Andy Samberg: It is really sad. It’s weird how even though the sentiment of the song is really like a bummer, it always kind of makes me happy. It’s so pretty…dare I say? That it kind of transcends what’s being said -- for me. But anyways… it’s good.

Jason Eldredge: It is good so let’s -- this is a selection from a childhood of Andy Samberg. It’s Roberta Flack with “Do What You Gotta Do” on KCRW.

Andy Samberg: Put your guns in the air.

Song: Roberta Flack’s “Do What You Gotta Do”

Jason Eldredge: I’m Jason Eldredge. It’s KCRW’s Guest DJ Project. I’m sitting here with Andy Samberg and we are talking - and laughing - about all of these songs that Andy has brought in today and why don’t you go ahead and introduce this next selection.

Andy Samberg: I love Beirut. I buy all of his stuff. And I know his name is not Beirut. It’s like Nine Inch Nails -- you say he instead of they because it’s one dude -- but I love it when he does a little more electro. The new double EP package thing he just put out, half of them are this style as well, and this song is on there too. But I don’t really have a ton to say about it particularly, I just really like the song.

Jason Eldredge: Let’s just listen to it. It’s “My Night With a Prostitute From Marsaille” which is quite a mouthful to say.

Andy Samberg: Is it based on a true story? Who’s to say?

Jason Eldredge: Possibly.

Andy Samberg: Who knows. Who really knows.

Song: Beirut’s “My Night With a Prostitute From Marsaille”

Jason Eldredge: That song is “My Night With a Prostitute From Marsaille.” You were talking about how you sort of enjoy his electro stuff a little bit more. This next song definitely leans in that direction as well. Why don’t you talk about the next selection.

Andy Samberg: The next selection is “Ask Me Anything” by The Strokies. That is actually what their official name is, they changed it like Santigold. They go by the Strokies now.

Jason Eldredge: For legal reasons.

Andy Samberg: This song is the one that is super low key and Julian keeps saying ‘I’ve got nothing to say.’ When this album actually came out -- I’m a massive die hard Strokes fan and obviously now buddies with Julian, and he did a song on Lonely Island also which I love called “Boom Box” -- but before I knew him, I loved this song and all their albums, honestly. But this song, I just like cause it seemed like it was risky for them to do this song. It’s really stripped down and I just kinda like the whole vibe of it. It almost, in a weird way, reminds of a Beatles song. But then it’s not. Because it’s by The Strokies.